Oculus Rift vs PSVR Review

Two of the most popular virtual reality headsets on the market, the Oculus Rift and the PSVR stand out for different reasons. The Oculus Rift is the big name, leveraging high-powered PCs to create amazing gaming experiences. The PSVR keeps its prices down by using the PlayStation 4. The purpose of this article is to offer an Oculus Rift vs PSVR review, giving a fair look at each headset, and providing a useful comparison for users.

The Oculus Rift is, arguably, the gold standard for virtual reality at the moment. It has a tremendous library of games, and it can harness the power of a gaming PC to provide fantastic gaming experiences. The PSVR, while somewhat less powerful, provides an amazing experience at an overall lower price. By leveraging the PS4, it puts the power of virtual reality within the reach of more gamers.

Oculus Rift vs PSVR: Pros & Cons

Oculus Rift Pros

Oculus Rift Cons

PSVR Pros

PSVR Cons

Looks great;

Requires gaming PC;

Works with PS4;

Not as powerful;

Fantastic library;

Causes eye strain;

Lower price;

Closed platform;

Great support;

Touch Controller not included;

Familiar controls;

Small game library;

Great visuals;

Early in life cycle;

More affordable controllers;

Limited usability;

Immersive games;

Poor quality cables;

Good first-party support;

Cannot buy replacement parts;

Open platform;

Not beginner friendly;

Easy-to-use interface;

Can cause motion sickness;

Oculus Rift vs PSVR: Design & Requirements

Looking just at the headsets’ design, you won’t notice much difference between the Oculus Rift and the PSVR. They both conform to the standard VR headset model, with nothing more than a few aesthetic choices and a color difference separating the two. This doesn’t mean that the two devices are very similar on the inside, though – it just means that they’re relatively easy to mix up if you’re a new user.

The design similarities stop as soon as you peek under the hood. The Oculus Rift is a much more powerful device and, more importantly, is designed to leverage the power of a much more powerful machine. The PSVR is tailored to work exclusively with the PlayStation 4, though, which gives it the advantage of being a bit more streamlined. A great deal of the effort put into the Oculus Rift design is done to support multiple hardware configurations; everything done with the PSVR is done to maximize the power it can get out of its sole support system.

Oculus Rift requires a fairly decent gaming computer. You’ll need at least a video card equivalent to an NVIDIA GTX 960, an i3-6100 processor, and at least 8GB of RAM to run at all, and some significantly better equipment to play most games on reasonable settings. The PSVR is far easier on the wallet, just requiring a PlayStation 4 to run.

Oculus Rift vs PSVR: Controls & Display

The Oculus Rift features a Pentile OLED display. With a 1080 x 1200 resolution per eye, it is at least as good as the average HD television. While it’s not quite 4K, it still provides an incredibly immersive view.

The PSVR features a single 5.7-inch OLED RGB display, one that displays in 1080 x 960. It’s not quite as good as the Oculus Rift to the discerning eye, but most won’t be able to tell the difference. It, likewise, provides a very immersive view, albeit one that isn’t quite as nice.

Both devices have two controller options. Both the Xbox One (Oculus) and PS4 (PSVR) controllers are serviceable options that aren’t necessarily that different from one another. With that said, there’s a huge difference between the more advanced controllers.

For Oculus Rift, the Oculus Touch Controllers are an amazing piece of technology worth experiencing. They feel perfectly designed for VR, and enhance every game that incorporates the technology. At this point, gamers who don’t use the device with the Rift do themselves a disservice.

The PlayStation Move, however, is a leftover from a previous generation of gaming. It works fine, but it’s not quite as precise as it should be. While better for VR than a controller, it doesn’t work quite as well as one would hope.

Oculus Rift vs PSVR: Setup

Setting up the Oculus Rift can be a time-consuming process. After removing the item from its packaging, one must plug it into three separate inputs on the PC. From there, the controllers and sensors must be set up. After that, one must set up the space in which the Rift is used, and then begin the personalization process. It can take upwards of an hour to set up the device.

The PSVR is much easier to set up. Hook the system into your PlayStation and then follow the instructions to set up the PlayStation Eye peripheral. Because the controller should already be paired with the system, you can jump directly into the personalization process once your camera is set up. If you already have the PS4 set up, it should only take about five minutes to go from unboxing to playing. If you’re looking for an easier experience, you’re going to want to use the PSVR.

Oculus Rift vs PSVR: User Experience

The question of user experience is perhaps the hardest one to answer. On one hand, both devices do exactly what they set out to do. The type of user who will enjoy one won’t always enjoy the other. With that said, there are a few areas in which each outshines the other.

The Oculus Rift tends to be just a little more comfortable than the PSVR. It simply feels better and doesn’t heat up quite as quickly. It’s really a matter of degrees, but it’s important when you’re going to use a device for several hours at a time.

On the other hand, the PSVR tends to be a more satisfying experience for those who want a system that just works. It’s uncommon to run into any operating problems with the PSVR. The Oculus is certainly more of an open system, but it definitely has more bugs to iron out than the PSVR.

Bottom Line

The honest answer is that you shouldn’t really compare the PSVR and Oculus Rift. They’re both fantastic devices in their own right, and they each serve a very different purpose. Oculus Rift is the better machine from a purely technical standpoint, but the PSVR is a much better value for the average gamer. If you’re only going to own one, it should probably be the Rift – but only if you’re willing to pay for a top-notch gaming computer as well.

What do you think about these headsets? Do you have a preference when it comes to Oculus Rift vs PSVR? If so, be sure to let us know!